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| Elizabeth Cassidy nee Corcoran |
Continuing on from the last story (Margaret Ramsbottom) Elizabeth Corcoran is a daughter of Irish migrants to Salford Lancashire. She was born in Salford in 1857 to parents Patrick Corcoran and Margaret Ramsbottom her parents having arrived there sometime between 1854 and 1857. Elizabeth Corcoran is my husband’s great grandmother. As said the Corcoran clan had not long arrived from Dublin to Salford, a thriving industrial town with cotton mills dotted along the River Irwell. By the 1861 Census, Patrick has picked up a job as a coach cleaner with the London North West railway and later as a railway Porter. Elizabeth’s older brother, Henry is a station assistant and the older sisters Honoria (Annie) and Mary are cotton winders at the local mills.
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| Elizabeth Corcoran 1861 |
Elizabeth’s early life is documented in the Census for 1861 aged four, 1871 aged 14 where she had had left school and was working as a cotton liner.
In the story to date her sister had entered the nearby enclosed order convent of the Poor Clares, her brother Henry was working locally and her sister Mary had married James Noonan. After working for a time in the cotton mill the 1881 census shows she’s all grown up and married. She married James Cassidy a stoker on 8/2/1881 at Pendleton, Salford. She’s shown as a housewife and looking after her widowed mother, Margaret and brother, Henry in a house at 75 Briscoe Lane Newton Heath when the 1881 census is taken a few weeks later. Interestingly Patrick was Irish only because he was born there while his father was briefly in the British army in Blarney Castle Barracks County Cork. Despite the fact his father Thomas, was Irish and his wife too was also Irish they had spent most of his army life in England.
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| James Cassidy and Elizabeth Corcoran |
Not long after their marriage they welcomed their first son Joseph Cassidy who was born in 1881 and later came Mary Cassidy in 1884. Unhappily Elizabeth ‘s mother, Margaret died in 1883.
Later they moved to Bury where Annie Cassidy was born in 1886 and later Elizabeth Cassidy came along in 1889.
James continued in the railway job as an engine driver and at the collection of the 1891 Census they lived in 81 Brierley St Bury. As well as Joseph and the girls Mary Tuohey aged 14 also resided with them while working at the cotton mill. She was James ‘s niece, the youngest daughter of James’s sister Catherine Cassidy. Mary was left orphaned by the death of Catherine in 1884 and her father Patrick in 1885.
James Cassidy m Elizabeth Corcoran
1855-1906 1857-1938
Joseph Cassidy Mary Cassidy Annie Cassidy Elizabeth Cassidy James Edward Cassidy Thomas Cassidy
1881-1956 1884- 1889-1891 1992-1981 1886-1971 1896-1896
Bury which is on the River Irwell had emerged in the industrial revolution as a mill town and was also important for manufacturing textiles. Black pudding, the blood sausage also originated there. Besides its factories for spinning, weaving, printing, bleaching and dying it had three iron foundries some smaller manufacturing establishments and a hat making houses.
It’s interesting to take a look at their neighbours. On one side they lived next door to a musician flautist and wife, Frederick and Myra Redburn and on the other side Joseph and Margaret Lord and family who worked for a mill. Other neighbours were the postmaster, teachers, butchers, coachmen. Certainly not an industrial slum neighbourhood.
James Edward Cassidy was born in 1892 named after his father. A six child was born Thomas Cassidy in March quarter 1896 to complete their family but died shortly after.
The Cassidy family was still there in 1901 when the Census was taken. The older girls Mary,16 and Annie, 14 were employed in the local mills as cotton card room winders. Joseph has moved with his job as a railway stoker where he is boarding in Manchester.
In 1901 Mary Tuohey married Robert Roberts. Despite the fact they left for USA in the early 1900s contact between Mary and her cousins was maintained with a resulting son turning up in Sydney, Australia while on leave during WWII. James Edward and family were impressed with his “war time supplies” and his flashy wedding gift for my mother-in-law Wyn.
Soon after the 1901 Census the first Cassidy wedding took
place the oldest Joseph married Mary Higginbottom in 1902, she was the daughter
of Robert and Ellen Higginbottom of Failsworth Lancashire and one of 11
children. She two had obtained work at the mill. His work at the railways
continues with him being employed as an engine fireman Stoker. The work
provides a steady income soon they had a son Frederick Cassidy born 1903
in Bury. Second granddaughter, Mary Josephine Cassidy was born in 1912.
Thus, had begun a new century and a couple of decades which would turn everything on its head. Patrick Cassidy died in 1906 not long after his son’s wedding.
By the time of the 1911 census Elizabeth was still at 81 Brierley Street Bury with the three girls and son James Edward. Mary 26, Annie 24, and Elizabeth 21. The mill is still providing them with income in such positions as stabber Rover and Winder, important to Elizabeth as Patrick Cassidy’s salary was no longer there. James has left school and he’s working as a hatter (finisher) at the local felt hatters.The new Census sees Elizabeth housekeeping but well looked after by her four children.
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| James Edward Cassidy C1914 |
Talk of War is afoot and James Edward enlists in the Lancashire Fusiliers in September 1914. Young men all around the district have enlisted including one of the Tuohey cousins and many of James Edwards Bury friends. He served in the 7th Lancashire Fusiliers. He heads off to Egypt and Alexandria and eventually Gallipoli in 1915. Imagine Elizabeth’s worry when her son is injured in the head. By 1917 his injuries finally bring him home and he is discharged.
As many young ladies did around that time Annie married in 1915 to one Thomas Harrington an Irishman from County Mayo. He also listed with the Lancashire Fusiliers. Austin Harrington and Mary Harrington made Elizabeth a grandmother once again with Austin born in 1916 and Mary after the war in 1919. Her sister Elizabeth had married too in 1915 to a local Lancashire boy who had had caught her eye. More wartime babies were born to Elizabeth and Edward Feast, a girl Eileen Feast, in 1916 and a girl, Mary Feast in 1918. A final child Edward Feast arrived in 1920.
Elizabeth now had a daughter in law and two sons in law added to her clan.
Amelia Duckworth lived in Bury and had a brother Harry in the 1/7th Lancashire Fusiliers. Harry Duckworth was serving with James Edward Cassidy. Amelia and James married in Bury in April 1917 whilst on leave and as mentioned before James was discharged in October 1917. Elizabeth Snr was able to welcome two other granddaughters with Winifred Cassidy born in October 1919 and Patricia Cassidy in 1922.
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| Amelia and Winifred 1920 |
After the war James Edward was employed in the hatting trade at Messrs Spencers Regent hat works in Bury. But then the Cassidy family had more death with loving mother Amelia passing away in 1924 leaving the little Cassidy girls aged five and two.
Stricken with grief James decided to leave Bury and make his way to Sydney where there was demand for qualified hat makers. His friend from Bury, James Nuttall had gone to Sydney when the Henderson’s Sydney hat factory was being set up. James Cassidy left his two daughters with his sister-in-law Alice Tootle, Amelia ‘s sister while he travelled to Sydney, found work and married the boss’ daughter, May Davis. The little girls were reunited with their father and new mother when they sailed with a stewardess to Sydney on the Orsova in 1929. May added to Elizabeth’s grandchildren when she had 4 more boys every 5 years- James, Terrence, Michael and Anthony Cassidy.
All up Elizabeth had three daughters in law, two sons in law and 11 grandchildren.
In time, Mary married George Berry a local counsellor of Unsworth. She was the second wife of Counsellor Berry. They married in 1926 and had no children.
Elizabeth Cassidy nee Corcoran died in 1938 aged 81. At last count she had at least 92 children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great greats and Irish blood has dispersed to England, Canada, NZ, Australia, USA and Denmark.
Joseph continued working as a locomotive driver and lived until 1956? aged 74.
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| Mary Josephine's wedding with husband Ralph Fallon plus Mary and Joseph Cassidy with Fred (rear) |
This photo courtesy Mary Glen
Annie had an unhappy marriage
with her husband deserting her with young children when he moved to USA. The
1939 shows her working as a housekeeper for a family. I’m told she did a lovely
job bringing up her children and was well loved by everyone for her kind
nature. Apparently she lived for some time with James and Amelia when he husband first left.
Elizabeth’s husband was an electrical engineer who died in 1955. She outlived him dying in 1981 aged 91 in Rochdale.
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| Elizabeth senior with Teddy Feast and Annie (R) and Mary(L) 1934 |
Mary was left quite well off when George Berry died and she travelled and even lived in Meadowbank, Sydney working for the priest in James and May’s parish, St Micheal's Meadowbank for a time. I’m sure she was interested in seeing the two little motherless girls she knew in the late twenties as they waited for the call to Sydney. She also lived in Wales too and Mary Glen (Joseph’s granddaughter) remembers visiting her there Llandudno. I’m not sure when she died.
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| u/k with Patricia Cassidy, Joe and Wyn (Cassidy) Ford, James Cassidy and Michael Cassidy 1944 |
James Edward died just weeks before his sister Elizabeth in Ryde, NSW in 1981.
Once again, my mother-in-law Wynne has been able to provide us with the lovely legacy of her tree with details of offspring plus extended trees. After all she did know the aunts and uncles quite well as she spent her formative years in Bury probably being spoiled. She also left us with photos of the family annotated with names what’s more, of her grandmother Elizabeth Corcoran and her aunts. Given the tyranny of distance and the expense of travel, reunions were not possible in their lifetimes.
Photographs and letters were cherished and Mary’s trip down under kept the news from Bury up to date. Bury relatives are still keeping the link with the Aussies and the Canadians. The Aussies, Americans and NZers are in touch and I’m sure everyone knows about this place called “Bury”. We’ve been curious enough to visit a few years back. There are still gaps in this story so feel free to add or correct the information and share by email to those interested. As always, I'd love a photo or two so, please share. Even the process of writing this story resulted in discovering the delightful picture of James and Elizabeth around the time of their wedding.
Here's a remembrance of Bury. Wyn sent my daughter looking for this house she said she lived in in Bury. Does anyone know where it is?
